SKANDINAVISK Brand Book - Next Decade

The next decade

Imagine a great land at the end of a long rocky track. A land populated by silent forests, silvery lakes, secluded islands and mountains of snow. Where nature dominates and seasons dictate.

A land larger than Germany, France and Italy but one-tenth of the people. With more boats and bicycles than those owning them, and a border to continental Europe just sixty kilometres long.

This is a land that has plotted its own course, shaped a different way of living over centuries. Where consciousness, community and timeless values of trust, equality, respect thrive.

Where its inhabitants place the greatest priority on life balance, on fellowship, family and friends, and on everyday moments of shared happiness.

Romantic? Idealistic? We think not.

It’s genuine. And it’s something everyone should experience.

We believe a more balanced Scandinavian approach to life is better for all, and that living ‘more Scandinavian’ is not just where you come from, it’s also how you think, how you treat others and the world that surrounds you, and what you treasure.

I wrote the opening words to this issue back in Stockholm while working for a very famous, ubiquitous and often polarising American multinational.

I’d already been living in Scandinavia for a decade and had finally begun to understand what makes this remote littlebig region so different, so special, and such an inspiration for the rest of the world. If only anyone paused to listen.

I knew I had to find a way to share this story, to give more people the sense of Scandinavia that I so admire. So I found another English Scandiphile (another disillusioned corporate executive) and we started our journey.

We create sensory Scandinavian stories designed to leave a lighter footprint. Starting with our first three fragrances - the forests, the seas, the cosiness - each fragrance captures a chapter in the story of Scandinavia, one that is precious to the locals and exotic to the outside world. We then carefully blend each fragrance so it can be experienced either in the home or on the skin.

As we journey through our second decade, proudly independent, we will keep exploring, innovating and celebrating this magical corner of the world.

Shaun Russell Founder

6 7

Fear less, hope more. Eat less, chew more. Whine less, breathe more. Talk less, say more. Hate less, love more.

And good things will be yours.

SWEDISH PROVERB

Sense of Scandinavia

Our chapters

We call our fragrances ‘chapters’, and each chapter has its own name, colour and graphic symbol, many of which can be found inside our distinctive pattern motif.

In essence, our pattern motif tells the story of Scandinavia and each symbol represents one of those chapters.

Forest living

Cosiness

Summer light

Giving

Love

Northern

Hibernation

Winter chill

lights

Cold seas

hope

Fjord DK/NO/SE FI DK/NO DK SE SE

Spring

Tranquility Pedal power

Natural drama Maritime history

Polar adventure

SKOG [sku:g]

Swedish/Norwegian for ’forest’

Boreal forests cover over half the Scandinavian lands, stretching from the southernmost county of Sweden to the Arctic Circle.

Scent notes: Pine needles and fir cones, birch sap and woodland lily of the valley.

HYGGE [’hygə]

Danish for ‘cosiness’

A word with no direct translation but with infinite meaning, and a reflection of the Scandinavian art of creating intimacy, fellowship and cosiness in the smallest everyday moments.

Scent notes: Black tea and mint leaves, dried apples and a dusting of baked cinnamon.

HAV [’hɑːv]

Scandinavian for ‘sea’

The waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic and Baltic seas surround the Scandinavian region, forming some of the longest, wildest coastlines on earth.

Scent notes: Salt spray and sea kelp, hawthorn and beach rose.

RO [’ruː]

Scandinavian for ‘tranquility’

Peace, calm and tranquility from the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. A small word with great meaning shared by all three Scandinavian languages.

Scent notes: Cut grass and fallen leaves, cucumber and wild violets.

SKOG 200ml Wash in refillable glass HAV 75ml Hand Cream

14 15

HYGGE 200g Scented Candle RO 200ml Scent Diffuser

[’fjuːr]

Norwegian

Spectacular rock faces, crashing waterfalls, cascading forests, and abundant orchards magnify the drama of the West Norwegian fjords.

KOTO [koto]

Old Finnish for ‘home’

Home, hjem, hem. A sanctuary from the rugged Nordic climate, an intimate space to hibernate and refresh the soul.

Scent notes: Apple and pear blossom, orchard fruits and redcurrants.

Scent notes: Vanilla beans and dried orange peel, Baltic amber and vintage leather furniture.

ØY [’øːʏ]

Norwegian for ‘island’

Hundreds of thousands of uninhabited islands glitter like stars upon the lakes and seas of Scandinavia, inviting explorers to pull up and rest a while.

Scent notes: Crabapple and dog rose, water mosses and green leaves.

LEMPI [’lem.pi]

Old Finnish for ‘love’

In Finland there is an old saying that goes ‘love doesn’t have to be perfect, but genuine’. The same can be said of a Nordic summer, its hopes and its treasured warmth shared.

Scent notes: Peony and rose, strawberries and mosses.

FJORD FJORD 100ml Home Mist ØY 500ml Conditioner KOTO 200ml Scent Diffuser

16 17

LEMPI 200g Scented Candle

1

Boreal Calm

Timbered halls of towering sentinels, sheltered stillness beneath a canopy of deepest green.

Ref: Evergreen fir.

SNÖ [ˈsnø:]

Swedish for ‘snow’

Nature’s treasured light through the deep Scandinavian winter, a shining frosted blanket against the dominating darkness.

Scent notes: Frozen forests and frosted berries, the sharp, fresh breath of subzero skies.

JUL [ˈjul]

Scandinavian for ‘Christmas’

Glowing windows in the darkness, generations gathered in harmony and tradition, Christmas treats tempting on the hearth.

Baked gingerbread and winter cloves, spiced oranges and mulled wine.

ARKTIS [ˈɑrktis]

Norwegian for ‘arctic‘

The vast frigid landscape shared by northern Norway, Sweden and Finland is as fresh and magnificent as it is remote and inhospitable. A blend of over five essential oils.

Scent notes: Windswept woods and arctic sage, spearmint and snowflakes.

Kapitel Kapitel 1 Eau de Toilette 50ml

18 19

JUL 200g Scented Candle

SNÖ

65g Scented Candle ARKTIS 350g 2 Wick Scented Candle

Leave a lighter footprint

At Skandinavisk we have a product philosophy, stolen from the tech industry, of ‘always in beta’.

An understanding that anything good can still be improved once we’ve learned more. For the customer and for the planet.

Almost a dozen years since revealing our first three fragrances, we have now completed the latest upgrade of our entire collection to be more local, natural, organic, ethical and responsible.

We produce all our cosmetics in Sweden. Local oat fibre and Nordic beets are blended into our cosmetic formulations, and we use Swedish rapeseed oil not only as an active ingredient in our hand creams, body lotions and hair conditioners, but also as the base for our candle wax.

Wherever possible we choose certified organic ingredients out of respect for soil protection as much as skin performance, and all our cosmetic

formulations are now majority organic when excluding water, which can’t be classified as organic.

We have removed alcohol from our scent diffusers and refills to make the item safer to transport and use.

Our wood and packaging card is FSC-certified from managed Nordic or EU forests. Our cosmetic packaging is wholly or partially recycled, minimising the incremental environmental cost of extraction. Refills are available for our most popular items.

It takes many steps before you learn to leave a lighter footprint, and there will be many more still to take.

22 23

Fragrances for a more balanced life

A scent education with no end

There are no lemon groves in Scandinavia, no ancient olive or fig orchards on rocky, sun-baked slopes. We have fir, not cedar forests. Our fruits aren’t pineapple and grapefruit but the more mundane apple and pear. We thought Bergamot was a town in Italy. We don’t know how to pronounce ylang-ylang, let alone know where it grows.

So our fragrance accords need to reflect this reality. Our scent bases must be grounded in real experiences of Scandinavia, the dominant notes being true to the region. That’s why we dedicate time to traveling it, hiking the

fjords, trekking the highlands, walking the coastlines, disappearing into the forests. If you don’t experience it, you can’t recreate it.

If we do want to add a citrus note, it must only complement, like a squeeze of lemon spritzes a finished dish. But that citrus note needs to be inspired by the gentler lemon balm herb that is prevalent here, rather than the more familiar zingy yellow fruit of the supermarket.

It’s as simple, and difficult, as that.

Our trip to Hardangerfjord during spring blossom, and of following the orchard-lined fruit trail that meanders from brackish shore to forest edge and back again.

28 29

If you’re born Scandinavian, it will always be part of who you are. The Scandinavian roots grow deep in your soul, like roots from trees themselves.

Cecilie, London

Situated in the heart of Copenhagen, at the rear of a hidden leafy courtyard, and directly beneath our head office, we’ve created an immersive space for visitors to experience our entire fragrance and product collection, get a glimpse of what’s coming next, and a true feeling for Scandinavia and Skandinavisk.

Gentle fragrances for body & home

Vegan, natural & organic formulae for the skin

Hand, hair & body care made in Sweden

Nordic active cosmetic ingredients

Swedish rapeseed wax candles

Responsible packaging

Refill options

Happiness is a place between too little and too much

FINNISH PROVERB

The art of presence is to understand what you are getting. Colours reflected from sky and water. Smells formed from bogs and mosses. Sounds that occur in playful streams. Nature is our condition and at the same time our peaceful presence. We just need to keep exploring with all our senses.

Frida, Sweden

Hygge: The magic ingredient

Everyone carries some familiar stereotypes of Scandinavia and its people - the dramatic nature and fairytale capitals, the endless summers and frozen white winters, the dense forests and sparkling waters.

The Scandinavian countries are consistently ranked as the happiest, most equal, trusting societies with the most liveable cities and the best quality of life. It’s a real-life Valhalla that surprisingly few outsiders truly experience.

But what is it that makes Scandinavians so happy?

We think it is their ability to create intimacy, fellowship and cosiness around the smallest everyday moments. The kind of moment originally borne from the region’s

exposure to extended cold and darkness and the need for people to come together around a source of heat and light.

But it’s the way they have evolved this rather functional need into an instinctive art that sets Scandinavia apart - the magic of turning any everyday situation into a moment to savour and draw pleasure from, especially those shared with friends and family around the illuminating glow of a flickering candle flame.

It’s the hygge magic.